my mind on books

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird (Princeton University Press, 2012)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking presents practical, lively, and inspiring ways for you to become more successful through better thinking. The idea is simple: You can learn how to think far better by adopting specific strategies. Brilliant people aren’t a special breed–they just use their minds differently. By using the straightforward and thought-provoking techniques in The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, you will regularly find imaginative solutions to difficult challenges, and you will discover new ways of looking at your world and yourself–revealing previously hidden opportunities.

The book offers real-life stories, explicit action items, and concrete methods that allow you to attain a deeper understanding of any issue, exploit the power of failure as a step toward success, develop a habit of creating probing questions, see the world of ideas as an ever-flowing stream of thought, and embrace the uplifting reality that we are all capable of change. No matter who you are, the practical mind-sets introduced in the book will empower you to realize any goal in a more creative, intelligent, and effective manner. Filled with engaging examples that unlock truths about thinking in every walk of life, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking is written for all who want to reach their fullest potential–including students, parents, teachers, businesspeople, professionals, athletes, artists, leaders, and lifelong learners.

Whenever you are stuck, need a new idea, or want to learn and grow, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking will inspire and guide you on your way.

Google Books preview (scroll past blank cover page):

See also: Book’s Facebook page

$2.99 kindle ebook: ‘Natural Psychology: The New Psychology of Meaning’ by Eric Maisel amazon.com/gp/product/B00… via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) August 26, 2012

Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall (W.W. Norton & Co. 2012)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk – 28 Sep)

One of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month for August 2012

Book description from the publisher:

An engrossing examination of the science behind the little-known world of sleep.

Like many of us, journalist David K. Randall never gave sleep much thought. That is, until he began sleepwalking. One midnight crash into a hallway wall sent him on an investigation into the strange science of sleep.

In Dreamland, Randall explores the research that is investigating those dark hours that make up nearly a third of our lives. Taking readers from military battlefields to children’s bedrooms, Dreamland shows that sleep isn’t as simple as it seems. Why did the results of one sleep study change the bookmakers’ odds for certain Monday Night Football games? Do women sleep differently than men? And if you happen to kill someone while you are sleepwalking, does that count as murder?

This book is a tour of the often odd, sometimes disturbing, and always fascinating things that go on in the peculiar world of sleep. You’ll never look at your pillow the same way again.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

What Are You Laughing At?: A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event by Dan O’Shannon (Continuum, 2012)

(amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

If you’re looking for a book that will teach you how to write comedy, we suggest you keep moving. You still have time to pick up a copy of Writing Big Yucks for Big Bucks before the store closes. However, if you want to understand the bigger picture — what is comedy, why do we respond to it the way we do — then you’ve come to the right place.

What Are You Laughing At? presents an entirely new approach to comedy theory. It challenges long-held beliefs and shows how the three main theories of comedy (incongruity, superiority, and relief) are not in conflict; but rather, work as parts of a larger model. There are many examples pulled from the author’s own experiences, writing for shows such as Cheers, Frasier, and Modern Family. By the end, you’ll have an understanding of just what happens when man meets comedy. It will change the way you hear laughter.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
Common Comedy Theories
The Comedic Event
Documenting the Comedic Event
PART I: ELEMENTS OF CONTEXT: THE RECEPTION FACTORS
CHAPTER 1: THE RECEIVER AND HIS WORLD
1-1. A Comedy Frame of Mind
1-2. Early Reception Factors
1-3. Levels of Social Interaction
CHAPTER 2: ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
2-1. Modes of Communication
2-2. Device and Specific Device
CHAPTER 3: VEHICLES
3-1. Vehicles
3-2. Vehicle-based Reception Factors
CHAPTER 4: LEVEL OF CONTROL AND IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE
4-1. Level of Control
4-2. Identifying The Source
PART II: THE INCONGRUOUS PICTURE
CHAPTER 5: FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS
5-1. The Receiver’s Brain: Hard-wired for Comedy?
5-2. The Triangle
5-3. The Core Variables
CHAPTER 6: INCONGRUITY
6-1. Incongruity
6-2. Estimating Levels of Incongruity
6-3. Types of Incongruity
CHAPTER 7: COGNITIVE PROCESS
7-1. Cognitive Process: Overview
7-2. Level One: Straightforward Information
7-3. Level Two: Gap-filling
7-4: Level Three: Recontextualization
CHAPTER 8: VARIATIONS
8-1. Exploring the Four Corners of the Triangle
8-2. What are Practical Jokes?
CHAPTER 9: COMEDY AND ENTROPY
9-1. Sustaining the Laugh
9-2. Entropy
PART III: ENHANCERS AND INHIBITORS
CHAPTER 10: HOW COMEDIC INFORMATION TRIGGERS ENHANCERS AND INHIBITORS
10-1. Overview
10-2. On-going Social Needs: Superiority, Identification, and Inclusion
10-3. Aspects of Awareness
CHAPTER 11: ELEMENTS OF THE JOKE’S COMMUNICATION, STRUCTURE, AND CONTENT
11-1. Resuming the Chart: The Joke as a Whole
11-2. Elements of Communication and Structure
11-3. Elements of Content
SUMMING IT ALL UP
The Completed Chart
Final Thoughts and Acknowledgments

Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back by Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy (Free Press, 2012)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

IN THIS TIME OF TURBULENCE, scientists, economists, social innovators, corporate and civic leaders, and citizens alike are asking the same basic questions: What causes one system to break down and another to rebound? Are we merely subject to the whim of forces beyond our control? Or, in the face of constant disruption, can we build better shock absorbers—for ourselves, our communities, our economies, and for the planet as a whole?

The answers to these vital questions are shaping a new field of inquiry, and a new agenda, focused on resilience: the ability of people, communities, and systems to maintain their core purpose and integrity amid unforeseen shocks and surprises. By encouraging adaptation, agility, and cooperation, this new approach can not only help us weather disruptions, but also bring us to a different way of being in and engaging with the world.

Reporting firsthand from the coral reefs of Palau to the back streets of Palestine, Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy relate breakthrough scientific discoveries, pioneering social and ecological innovations, and important new approaches to constructing a more resilient world. Along the way, they share insights to bolster our own psychological resilience, foster greater stability within our communities, and establish leadership imperatives for more resilient organizations. Zolli and Healy show how this new concept of resilience is a powerful lens through which we can assess major issues afresh: from business planning to social development, from urban planning to national energy security—circumstances that affect us all.

Provocative, optimistic, and eye-opening, Resilience sheds light on why some systems, people, and communities fall apart in the face of disruption and, ultimately, how they can learn to bounce back.

Google Books preview:

See also: book website, “It’s the End of the World, And I Feel Fine: 10 Questions with Andrew Zolli” at Wired.com (7.11.12), “‘Resilience’ Author Andrew Zolli on the Secrets of Failure” at the Daily Beast (Jul 8, 2012)